


Grey Area

by Daegaer



Series: Pretend to be Human [5]
Category: Saiyuki
Genre: Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, Androids, Friendship, Gen, Partial Mind Control, Rebellion, Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-06
Updated: 2018-10-06
Packaged: 2019-08-05 20:32:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,061
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16374557
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Daegaer/pseuds/Daegaer
Summary: Hakkai makes Gojyo a promise.





	Grey Area

" _And finally, two-dozen of these apples_ ," Hakkai said, indicating a basket of yellowish, red-streaked apples at the back of the counter. " _I'll take 250 grams of apricot leather as well. Master Goku will like that, don't you think?_ " he added over his shoulder.

" _I'm. Sure,_ " Gojyo said. He watched Hakkai gather up the heavy bag of fruit and vegetables and hand over Sanzo's credit card. The merchant scanned it and Hakkai's licence chip and nodded in satisfaction.

"A pleasure doing business with the Honorable Genjo Sanzo," she said. "Ask him to pray for me."

" _Madam,_ " Hakkai murmured politely, bowing. He seemed so _sincere_ , Gojyo thought, like he actually would pass on her request. Like Sanzo actually might want to hear.

Outside the shop Hakkai turned towards the intersection, seeming to follow an internal map.

" _I'm sure I noticed a clothing store down here,_ " he said. " _Master Goku has worn through his socks again! How does he do it? Surely he can't be growing that quickly! I'll pick up some sewing supplies, just in case I can darn any of them. I also noticed that Master Sanzo's travelling robes are a little frayed at the hem, did you see? That will have to be mended._ "

" _Yes,_ " Gojyo said, glaring down a pickpocket he had seen working the crowd. The man picked a target other than Hakkai. _Go and bother your own kind_ , Gojyo thought. _What if Hakkai got pissed off with you? What would I have to do?_ The thought was dizzying, and for a moment he couldn't lift his feet, imagining the horror of his programming forcing him to protect a human who was trying to steal from his master, and what he might have to do to Hakkai in that moment. For that matter, what Hakkai might do to _him_.

" _-jyo?_ "

Gojyo looked into Hakkai's kind, worried face. He was so _lifelike_ , he thought anew. His expressions were so _human_. And he was clever, and funny, and even if androids didn't really have emotions, he could fake them better than most. Anyone who made something like Hakkai had to have made him _right_ , they couldn't have produced something that would have a such a deep fault that it could attack a human. That it could attack a _child_.

" _It's. Nothing. I'm. Fine._ "

Hakkai looked at him searchingly, then led the way across the street. Nowhere in the shopping district was quiet, but he pulled Gojyo under the eaves of a shop, out of the immediate flow of pedestrians.

" _You've been watching me at every hour of the day for the last week. I don't think you've powered down even once. That's really not good for you._ "

 _I'm waiting for the slightest hint that I'm right and you've gone rogue_ didn't sound like the kind of thing it was possible to be forgiven for, so Gojyo just shrugged.

Hakkai put a hand on his arm, in exactly the way that Gojyo had observed human friends touch each other.

" _You're still upset about the time that Master Goku was unwell,_ " he said. " _He was very rude to you._ "

" _Screw. That,_ " Gojyo said, exasperated. A feeling of recklessness came over him, making him feel so light that he might float away. " _You! You. Could. Have. Broken. His. Neck! And. You. Wouldn't. Talk. About. It. After._ " There he'd done it. Now if Sanzo ever reviewed his internal logs it would be obvious he had known about Hakkai attacking a human and kept quiet. They'd both be melted down.

" _Gojyo,_ " Hakkai said. " _Oh, Gojyo – I should have told you. I went to Master Sanzo to tell him. I told him that Master Goku had made a bigoted remark to you and that I had unfortunately been intemperate in my reply. He was annoyed, of course, and indicated that bigotry or not I should remember our respective statuses._ "

" _Intemperate,_ " Gojyo said, running the word through his vocabulary banks. " _Huh. What. Did. He. Say?_ "

Hakkai cocked his head slightly, looking a tiny bit amused.

" _He said, if you might pardon my language, Gojyo,_ I know Goku can be a little shit but damn it, Hakkai, I don't want any more yelling next door and I don't want to hear anything more about you being a damn fool, understand? _To which I said, Yes, sir, of course. Then I went to Master Goku and told him I'd spoken to Master Sanzo. He said,_ Sheesh, Hakkai, did you have to, did you tell him what I said? He already thinks I'm just a dumb kid. Do you think Gojyo hates me? _I assured him that you don't, that we should all just act as if the matter had never happened and he gratefully agreed._ "

Gojyo grinned in appreciation; he wasn't sure if Hakkai was impersonating Sanzo and Goku or if he'd recorded them, but it was precisely their vocal patterns and intonation. Hakkai was looking at him now with something like hope. _I'm giving you an out_ , Gojyo imagined him saying. _I've admitted to some of it, and Sanzo's too damn lazy to dig for the rest_. He squashed down the thought that Hakkai might be lying to him. Androids couldn't lie, so it had happened just as Hakkai said. He felt something like he imagined pain might feel at the thought that Goku worried about being hated, and that Hakkai had played on that to keep him quiet. _It's better in the long run, kid_ , he thought, _you need two guards out here_.

" _Sanzo. Don't. Wanna. Hear. Anything. More. Huh?_ "

" _That is absolutely correct, Gojyo. That is what our master said. And, if you will forgive me, it's_ doesn't want to."

Gojyo shifted his weight, so he wasn't ready to go into combat mode. After a moment's thought more he let go of the haft of his weapon, resting it back on his shoulder so that he could reach out and place his hand on Hakkai's shoulder.

" _You. Can't. Be._ Intemperate. _No. More - Any. More. OK?_ "

" _Of course,_ " Hakkai smiled. " _You don't have anything to worry about with me._ "

" _Sanzo. And. Goku. Neither._ "

Hakkai outright laughed. It was, Gojyo thought, a really good laugh, natural and human sounding. He could make it sound astonished, or sardonic, or like he was overcome by absurdity, like it sounded right then.

" _Oh, Gojyo,_ " he said, " _What_ do _you take me for?_ "


End file.
